LA Galaxy Squad of 1996 Serves as the Inspiration for New Third Kit

CARSON, Calif. -The LA Galaxy opted for a blast from the past for their brand new third kit.

More than a year after the club began its search for a new third uniform with an innovative campaign on Facebook that allowed fans to design their own jersey, LA revealed their final selection on Saturday.

From the five finalists, Galaxy fans chose Carlos Rodriguez's entry, which brings back memories of the inaugural season of MLS when the team donned a black uniform with colorful trim around the shoulders during their home matches at the Rose Bowl. When discovering the contest, the West Los Angeles resident immediately thought back to 1996 when he attended his very first Galaxy game at the Rose Bowl between Los Angeles and the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.

"That year set forth what this team is about. The team didn't win MLS Cup that year, but this team is built to win and these colors represent winning to me," Rodriguez told LAGalaxy.com on Saturday. "Some of the players from this year and that year are a few of my favorite players of all time, so what better way to remember that team than bringing back those colors. Not through a true throwback, but the colors themselves, which I hope will remind people of that year."

As the Galaxy look to further connect with their supporters, it was important to not only engage them in a meaningful way, but also create connections to the team's illustrious history.

"It's important to involve our fans in anything that we do, so to do this in an innovative way where we, literally, put the design of our third kit in their hands was something that we're really excited about," Galaxy President Chris Klein told LAGalaxy.com. "Then to do it completely online was something that we were proud of and we're very excited with the outcome. It is a kit that ties the Galaxy past to now and to the city of Los Angeles as well with the colors of the city flag."

Rodriguez will have to wait until August 17 to see the Galaxy wear his kit for the first time with the club scheduled to debut the look for that night's game against Real Salt Lake. Although that day remains two months away, Rodriguez knows that he's officially a part of the Galaxy's storied legacy.

"Honestly, this is the best way to have your name etched into Galaxy history," said Rodriguez. "Years from now, you can take a look at this jersey being sold on the internet for who knows how much and I can say 'I designed that jersey.' Or even walking into the store a couple of weeks from now and saying that 'I'm the guy that designed that jersey' hopefully, it's coming off the racks and not staying on it."